2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO Complaints

TURN SIGNALS INTERMITTENTLY QUIT WORKING, BUT HAZARDS WORK FINE. ALSO, INTERMITTENTLY WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL FULLY (EITHER WAY) THE ABS LIGHT AND LOW TRACTION OFF LIGHT COME ON WHICH CLEAR AFTER TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTING, BUT DOES IT AGAIN OR MAYBE NOT FOR A WHILE. *NM

THE STEERING WAS HARD AND HAD IT INSPECTED. THE RESULTS BEING A WORN OUT STEERING RACK THAT WAS LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID. THE ASE CERTIFIED MASTER MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN GM VEHICLES. CARS ARE ENGINEERED PRODUCTS - THE USER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE SUCH PARTS ON A REGULAR BASIS BECAUSE, THE CUSTOMER BUYS CARS BASED ON THE RELIABILITY OF MECHANICAL AND HYDRAULICALLY ENGINEERED COMPONENTS. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT IT IS A CONSTANT MENTAL STRESS FOR THE OWNER TO ACTUALLY 'EXPECT' KNOWN PROBLEMS THAT GM IS NOT READY TO ACKNOWLEDGE - THOUGH COMPARABLE JAPANESE AND GERMAN CARS RUN WITHOUT SUCH PROBLEMS IN THE SIMILAR COMPONENTS FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *NM

LAST YEAR I HAD A RUBBING TYPE SOUND COMING FROM MY FRONT END, UPON TAKING IT TO TUFFY I LEARNED THAT I NEEDED A LEFT WHEEL BEARING. I REPLACED THE WHEEL BEARING AND 7 MONTHS LATER I HAD TO REPLACE THE RIGHT WHEEL BEARING. CURRENTLY I AM BEING TOLD THAT THE WHEEL BEARINGS STILL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY ABS LIGHTS ARE ON AND THERE IS A POPPING SOUND WHEN MY CAR TURNS. I HAVE A NEW TIE ROD SO THAT RULES THE NOISE COMING FROM IT. THE BEARINGS ARE EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE AND I ONLY HAD THE CAR THREE YEARS AND I HAD TO REPLACE BEARINGS, THE MANIFOLD INTAKE, A TIE ROD, AND HOSES. *NM

FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE BEEN NOTICING MY CAR TEMPERATURE HOT WHEN IT IS SUPPOSE TO BE COLD AND VICE VERSA. I CHECKED THE ANTI-FREEZE AND PLACED MORE IN THE CAR. IN THE PAST MONTH I NOTICE THAT THE CAR STARTED TO OVERHEAT AND I CHECKED THE ANTIFREEZE ONCE AGAIN. I THEN LEARNED THAT MY MANIFOLD INTAKE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT IS VERY COMMON FOR IT TO HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT IS PLASTIC. I PAID OVER $700.00 TO GET IT REPLACED AND IT IS A COMMON FACT THAT IT IS REPLACED OFTEN DUE TO THE MANUFACTURERS CHOICE TO USE PLASTIC FOR THE PART. *NM

IT WAS A ON SEPT 2 2006, MY 17 YR DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY A HOUR AND HALF A WAY FROM HOME AND NOTICED FAILURE IN HER BRAKES. THEY WHERE NOT WORKING GOOD WHEN SHE GOT CLOSER TO HER DESTINATION SHE LOST ALL BRAKES CONTROL. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATALITY IF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY BUT ALL BRAKE FUNCTION WAS LOST AT HER APPROACHING DESTINATION. THE CAUSE WAS A BRAKE LINE PLASTIC CLIP WAS BUSTED WHICH CAUSED THE LINE TO RUB AGAINST THE CRANKSHAFT AND RUBBED A HOLE IN THE LINE CAUSING THE FLUID TO RUN OUT, IT COST 175.00 TO FIX, THAT INCLUDING THE TOWING. I FEEL IF THIS HOSE WAS HELD BY A METAL CLIP THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS AFTER COME, NOT TO MENTION THIS WAS MY 17 YEAR OLD CHILD. *NM

I'M NOT FOR SURE IF YOUR INTERESTED IN THIS TYPE OF COMPLAINT, BUT I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM OLDSMOBILE PERTAINING TO MY 2002 OLDS. ALERO THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH THE TURNING SIGNAL AND/OR HAZARDS. THIS LETTER CAME FROM THEIR RECALL CENTER BUT IT STATED IN THE LETTER IT WASN'T A RECALL. WELL A COUPLE OF MONTHS PREVIOUSLY MY TURNING SIGNAL WOULD STOP WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING THEN IT WOULD WORK, STOP WORKING, WORK BUT NEVER FOR TOO LONG OF TIME. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE FINE FOR WEEKS THEN IT WOULD START UP AGAIN. WELL, AFTER I RECEIVED THIS LETTER I WAS FOR SURE THAT THIS LETTER PROBABLY PERTAINED TO MY PROBLEM AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE OLDS. DEALER IN VINCENNES, IN. WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP, THEY SAID THE TURN SIGNAL NEVER QUIT WORKING, WHICH I REPLIED ITS GOING TO BE A ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE THAT IT WILL DO IT FOR YOU. I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE MY CAR THERE FOR A MONTH FOR IT TO OCCUR FOR THEM TO CATCH IT, I JUST THOUGHT THIS PROBLEM WAS WHAT THE LETTER WAS REFERRING TO. HE STATED IF HE FIXED EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLE BE WRONG WITH THE TURN SIGNAL I WOULD HAVE A REPAIR BILL AS LONG AS HIS ARM. MY CONCERN IS I FEEL LIKE I COULD BE IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF THE TURN SIGNAL QUITS WORKING AGAIN OR GETTING A TICKET FOR NOT USING IT WHEN IT ACTUALLY FAILED. I'M KIND OF AT A LOSS OF WHAT I ACTUALLY CAN DO. I KNOW THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE PROBLEM THEY ARE REFERRING TO BECAUSE THEY REALLY DIDN'T EXPLAIN IN THE LETTER IT JUST SAID CONTACT YOUR OLDS DEALER, WHICH THEY WERE OF NO HELP. I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS AWARE OF THE LETTER SENT OUT AND HE SAID KIND OF. ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *JB

HORN DOES NOT WORK WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARM/HOT. DOES SEEM TO WORK SOMETIMES WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD. THIS HAS CAUSED 3 VERY SERIOUS CLOSE CALLS. THE HORN IS A SAFETY PRECAUTION AND WITHOUT IT MY SELF AND MY FAMILY ARE IN SERIOUS DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT. *NM

THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT WAS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY AND WOULD STAY ON FOR 1-4 MINUTES THEN GO OFF. THIS STARTED IN MARCH 2006. THEN ONE DAY THE CAR WOULD NOT START. CALLED AAA - MECHANIC FIXED BY LEAVING KEY TURNED ON FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES - THEN CAR STARTED. THIS "PROBLEM" OF NOT STARTING STARTED OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY AND SO HAD A MECHANIC CHECK INTO IT. HE IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME, ONCE I PRESENTED THE PROBLEM THE CAR WAS HAVING, THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH IN THESE CARS WERE NOTORIOUS FOR GOING BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SO, I HAD IT REPLACED. NOW, IT'S JULY 2006 AND THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT IS COMING ON AGAIN. SO - NOW WHAT?! *NM

I HAVE A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CARS SECURITY DEVICE IS FAULTY CAUSING THE CAR TO NOT START AND SOMETIMES CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING EVEN AT OVER 40 MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS OVER THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH GM CARS AROUND THIS YEAR. BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THAT COMMON MECHANICS ARE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR YOU ARE FORCED TO GO TO THE COSTLY DEALERSHIP AND IN A LOT OF CASES THEY TO ARE NOT ABLE TO FIX IT. *NM

TURN SIGNAL MALFUNCTION INVOLVING FLICKERING OF TURN SIGNAL AT RANDOM. I WILL BE DRIVING AND HEAR THE FLASHER GO OFF ERRATICALLY. NO CONSEQUENCES EXCEPT A LOT OF ANNOYANCE FROM THE SOUND AND HAVING TO REPLACE THE FLASHER MYSELF. WILL SAVE OLD PART. *JB